San Jose: Police release descriptions, photos of bicycle bandits

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The San Jose Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying and locating two suspects involved in a purse-snatch robbery. The robbery occured Feb. 6, 2013, at 6:52 p.m., in the 500 block of Race Street.

The San Jose Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying and locating two suspects involved in a purse-snatch robbery that occurred Feb. 6, 2013, at 6:52 p.m., in the 500 block of Race Street.

SAN JOSE — Police are hoping that the release of surveillance images will help them find two people who assaulted and robbed a woman near downtown San Jose in February.

The robbery was reported about 6:50 p.m. Feb. 6 as a the female victim and two people, a man and woman, got off a Light Rail train at the Race Street station, police said. The woman from the pair confronted the victim and punched and kicked her, knocking her to the sidewalk, and started wresting away her purse.

The man helped pull the purse away, and the two fled on bicycles, police said.

The female suspect was described as a Latina woman in her early 20s, 5-foot-6, 190 pounds with long dark wavy hair and last seen riding a beach cruiser-style bicycle. The male suspect was described as a white or Latino man in his early 20s, 5-foot-7, 170 pounds and last seen riding a 10-speed bicycle with curved handlebars.

Anyone with information about the case can contact robbery Detective Brian Meeker at 408-277-4166, or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or tipsubmit.org.

Robert Salonga is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering crime and public safety for The Mercury News. A San Jose native, he attended UCLA and has a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002.

Otto Warmbier was arrested in January 2016 at the end of a brief tourist visit to North Korea. He had been medically evacuated and was being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center when he died at age 22.